The present invention relates generally to apparatus for depositing an article in a desired orientation into an upwardly opening collecting hopper or the like and, more particularly, to such apparatus specifically adapted for automatically collating and depositing articles in groups such as in a carton packing operation.
Many apparatus are known for automatically depositing manufactured packages or other articles in a packing case or carton or in an intermediate collecting hopper for subsequent packing in a case or carton. Representative examples of various conventional types of such packing apparatus are disclosed and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,946,283; 2,956,384; 2,996,856; 3,621,765; 3,653,178; 3,673,756; 3,783,584; 4,086,745; 4,192,121; and 4,506,493. Typically, apparatus of this general type are specifically designed and adapted for handling particular types, sizes and shapes of manufactured articles, as the above-listed patents illustrate. Further representative examples of conventional packing apparatus are the BURRY-LU Model 1083 and the SLOAN Model C-400 collating apparatus manufactured by Sloan Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation of Charlotte, N.C., the assignee hereof, which apparatus are specifically designed for collating and delivering parallelepipedic articles such as ice cream sandwiches to a collecting hopper of an associated carton packing apparatus.
In a large number of conventional apparatus of the general type identified above, a movable support arrangement is provided on which articles to be packaged are initially arranged in a desired orientation and which is then moved to permit the articles to drop gravitationally in some sort of constrained manner to be deposited in the same orientation into a carton or collecting hopper below the support arrangement. Normally, a conveyor and a control switch system are provided to deliver the articles to the support arrangement and to operate the movement thereof in an automated manner. As will be appreciated, the reliable operation of the support arrangement to maintain the articles in their desired orientation during gravitational dropping thereof is essential to the operation of these packing apparatus and it is this aspect of such apparatus that produces the greatest degree of operational problems in such apparatus.
It is accordingly a broad object of the present invention to provide a simple and reliable mechanical support arrangement for depositing articles in a desired orientation by dropping onto a receiving surface therebelow, such as an upwardly open collecting hopper. More particularly, the present apparatus is specifically directed to an improved apparatus of the type of the aforementioned BURRY-LU Model 1083 and SLOAN Model C-400 apparatus.